Two-time world champion Shericka Jackson bounced back impressively at the Stockholm Diamond League on Sunday, winning the 200m with a season’s best time of 22.69 seconds.
This victory was a significant rebound for Jackson, who had finished fifth in Oslo last Thursday.
Jackson exploded out of the blocks and maintained her lead through the curve, holding off a strong challenge from Sweden’s Julia Henriksson, who set a personal best of 22.89 for second place. Amy Hunt finished third in 22.92.
Several other Caribbean athletes also delivered commendable performances at the meet. Rushell Clayton, previously unbeaten in the Diamond League this season, finished second in the women’s 400m hurdles. World champion Femke Bol opened her season with a dominant 53.07 seconds for victory, with Clayton clocking 53.78 seconds.
Fellow Jamaican Andrenette Knight set a season’s best of 54.62 seconds to secure third place, and Commonwealth Games champion Janieve Russell was fourth in 54.99 seconds, also a season’s best.
A commanding 47.01-second win
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands ran a season’s best of 48.05 seconds, finishing second to Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, who continued his impressive form with a commanding 47.01-second win. Dos Santos, who recently defeated world record holder Karsten Warholm in Oslo, expressed his satisfaction with his performance, saying, “It was a good race – 47.01. I think we are just proving that we are in good shape. I am excited for this result back-to-back and I am also looking forward to coming back to the training right now. I am going back to Florida now, will talk to my coach and will work on what I need to work on.”
McMaster, reflecting on his race, noted his progress despite recent challenges. “I did not feel much during the race and just tried to stay focused and execute. I am catching up. I have been battling some injuries when coming up to the season so I am just trying to execute and stay healthy. I still have got a few more races,” he said. “I have been dropping my times every race so I just need to improve on that.”
In the triple jump, Shanieka Ricketts secured second place with a jump of 14.40m. Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez won with a leap of 14.67m, and Thea LaFond of Dominica took third with 14.26m. Ricketts decided to skip her last three jumps as a precaution, citing the breezy conditions. “It was a little bit breezy out there this afternoon so I decided to forego my second three jumps as I did not want to risk anything,” she explained. “I need to go back to training now and work on a few things from today that did not go quite to plan. I was confident going into today but there were a few technical bits for me to sort out. I felt a bit rusty today but I am sure it will come together in time for Paris.”
